Red One
by ForThoseWhoLikeToMoveItMoveIt
Summary: POMandMPLlover and I thought the little lobster needed some more light...


**Author's Note: Created by my POMandMPLlover and I! X3 This was really fun for us! Heh! Review? **

**~Natty.**

* * *

_Red One._

_~PoM~_

Skipper rolled his eyes in his chains, his three teammates chained up by his side in front of their worst foe. "SO what's the plan this time?"

"Oh Skipper! This time I have an AMA-A-A-ZING plan! I created a machine that will force the tectonic plates to rub heavily together which will create tons of earthquakes AND tsunamis that will send the humans' world into a catastrophic disaster! Ahahahahahaa!" The dolphin cackled evilly.

"Flooding?" Kowalski said blandly and unimpressed. "Again? Really?"

"Seems a bit repetitive doesn't it?" Private tilted his head.

Rico gave a very bored overdramatic sigh. He suddenly went to sleep, snoring to make his point.

"QUIET! This plan is GREAT and you know it! Red One! Turn on the machine!" Blowhole ordered.

Red One had been smiling the whole time. "Yes doc!" He scuttled over to the computer, typing with the tips of his claws to activate the device. He was really happy today. Not only did he love seeing his boss in action but today was the day before their big plan. As soon as the world was flooded it would be under the dolphin's control! Wasn't that great? He loved the thought of how happy it would make his boss to rule the world. That Red One was a hopeful little pleasant lobster. He had faith that one day one of their schemes would work even if it wasn't today. Yet the second in command was certain that today something big would happen in their lives.

For a moment the dolphin was staring at the happy lobster and a brief second smiled himself but quickly shook it of as he noticed that Skipper perked a brow at that. Blowhole caught into his fin embarrassed and got into his villain role again. "NOW peng-U-ins! Got any last words to say before you'll meet... your DOOM! Ahahahahaa!"

"Yeah," Skipper started confidently. "We-"

Private smiled down at the smiling lobster. "Hello Red One."

"Hey." Red One greeted back.

"You seem rather cheerish today." The private observed.

"Oh yeah I am." Red One nodded as he typed some more. He looked up smiling.

"Are you done now Private?" The leader asked with an eye roll.

"What?" Private frowned with a shrug.

"We do not CARE if one of Blowhole's repulsive little minion's is happy!" Skipper exclaimed.

Red One frowned, trying not to look offended but failed as his hurt feelings showed. His shoulders slumped as he looked down at the floor, stopping his work. That kind of hurt…

Blowhole noticed this and spoke up again, seeming to defend the lobster. "Red One at least shows joy for my soon to be victory. Your team could take an example by his unbreakable loyalty."

Red One smiled again.

Skipper smirked. It was so easy to keep the mammal distracted. "Well he's gonna have to turn that smile the other way around when your little victory fails!"

"My plan won't fail!" The evil mammal snapped back.

Skipper scoffed. "It will with minions like that! Look at him!" He gestured his beak down to Red One.

Blowhole raised a brow, seeing nothing wrong with the lobster. "What do you mean? What's with him?"

"That happy attitude has no place in a villains line of work!" Skipper faked concern.

"What?! What do YOU kno-o-ow about a villains line of work?!"

The leader shrugged. "Enough to know that YOU need a better second in command. I mean look at Kowalski. He's never happy. Half the time he's alone in his lab sobbing about your sister!"

Kowalski glared. "I was not sobbing! I was…washing my test tubes…" He sniffed. "…with my tears…"

The dolphin just snarled. "Pah! At least MY second in command is getting things done right! Not like your whiny lieutenant that's into a girl with a pretty bad taste in men!"

"You're DEFENDING this spineless thing?" Skipper exclaimed.

"He's NOT a spineless thing!" The dolphin spat enraged.

Kowalski blinked. "Technically he is." He pointed out.

Blowhole glared at the analyst. "I know he technically is bu-u-ut Skipper meant it in a different way!"

"What way's that doc?" Oblivious Red One asked, speaking up with an innocent confused expression.

"No need to think about it Red One. That peng-U-in is talking nonsense!" The dolphin reassured calmy suddenly again as he faced the lobster.

"Now you're shielding him from the truth!" The leader exclaimed. He didn't know how this was working but it was. For some reason the dolphin's attention could be easily averted to that one lobster. It was perfect for stalling with their escape plan. "You know he's a lousy soldier!"

More and more the mad scientist got enraged, not able to stand it that that flightless bird talked to his second in command like this. "SHUT IT! You know NOTHING about him!"

"I bet he hangs around you a lot, doesn't he Blowhole? Doesn't mingle with the others?" Skipper laughed and what he said next crossed the line. "I bet they pick on him!"

Oh this was too much! How could that stupid flightless bird DARE to speak like this about Red One!? He'll pay for that! And before the penguin could even blink, Blowhole drove with his segway into the bird, pressing the handle of it against Skipper's throat. "You'll regret that you ever said that!"

"Get off of him!" Kowalski glared, angered.

The mammal just growled and kept pressing some more. "It's his own fault!"

Although the leader was being choked, he still managed to choke out in a mock. "Pathetic…lobster…"

Blowhole yelled enraged and pushed only more and more against the bird's throat.

"No!" Private yelled.

"Now Rico!" Kowalski exclaimed.

"HUHMEH!" Rico hacked a bombed into the air. It went flying.

"What the?!" The dolphin looked up and after the bomb, getting away the slightest from Skipper. "You can't set off a bomb in here! We're at the bottom of the OCEAN!" Blowhole shrieked. But once the dolphin finished his sentence, the bomb went off right by one of the support beams and destroying it, the place soon after starting to shake as the ceiling threatened to break down. Then the mammal complained loudly to his four foes. "ARE YOU FREAKING INSA-A-A-NE!? DO YOU WANT TO KILL US ALL!?"

The vibrations of the voice bouncing against the walls was what made the beam actually give. The next thing the mammal knew was looking up to the falling beam above his head and then the shove that saved him from getting his skull crushed. The dolphin was shoved into a lab table where a beaker smashed on impacted and a thick piece of glass stuck out of his skin.

Blowhole yelped in pain from the glass that pierced his skin but it luckily wasn't stuck in too deep it seemed. He wanted to treat his wound right away as the rumbling stopped momentarily, the ceiling having not yet broken but another thought came to his mind suddenly. Someone pushed him out of the way...

The dolphin hastily turned and looked at the fallen beam only to see a small red claw sticking out underneath it. His heart stopped for a moment, besides him and the penguins there was only one lobster with him in the room and that the only lobster that would do such a thing. "RED ONE!" He exclaimed scared and hastily drove over to the crustacean, getting off his segway and tried to lift the heavy beam but probably wouldn't be able to without help. "RED ONE!" The dolphin screamed again, trying with all his might to lift the beam. It wouldn't budge. The penguins had never seen their enemy like this. The mammal then a bit helplessly looked to the four flightless birds that were still strapped to wall and pleaded desperately. "Peng-U-ins! I'll let you go this time if you help me get Red One out of there!"

"You…letting us go…" Skipper just stared like he didn't believe it.

"Yes! So is it a deal? Please?" Blowhole begged, staring at the Commando and his fin subconsciously reaching for the claw that stuck out under beam.

Kowalski shrugged along with the others.

Skipper nodded. "Alright."

The dolphin then quickly called his segway over with his mechanical eye and pressed the release button on it, the penguins getting free.

The leader grinned. "Wow. We should crush your minions more often."

Blowhole glared at the leader. "Don't you dare! And now help me!"

"A deal is a deal. C'mon boys!" Skipper led the penguins over to the beam, starting to help lift. Kowalski, Rico, and Private went over too, struggling to help.

"Come on peng-U-ins! Lift it up!" The mammal ordered, trying to lift the beam with all his strength.

"We are TRYING!" Kowalski grunted.

"It's not budging!" Skipper exclaimed. "I thought you were the all-powerful mammal here!"

Rico's fins slipped and the beam fell back down with a slight crunch. "Whoops."

The penguins let go of the beam after that, not wanting to cause any more harm OR hear another sound like that.

The dolphin's eye widened as the birds simply let go, he still desperately trying to lift it. "What are you doing?! Don't let go!... Please..."

"Did you not hear that sound?" Skipper asked. "It didn't sound too good!"

Private whimpered. "I think it'll haunt my nightmares…"

Rico grinned in amusement, going over to repeat what he did. "Oooh- Ow!"

Skipper yanked the weapon's expert back, glaring. "And we do NOT want to hear it again."

"Aww…" Rico moped.

"But what else should I do!?" The sea mammal asked desperately, his breathing getting irregular from stress.

"Do you really think he's alive under there?" Skipper pointed out.

Blowhole then stared at the penguins, they all seeming to have the same opinion as their leader and the mammal's lips began to quiver. "...Please..."

"It's highly unlikely, Blowhole…" Kowalski shook his head.

"And what IF he is alive!? Shall I let him slowly die!? The deal was that you help me save him!" The dolphin cried.

"How do we SAVE a mashed potato?" Skipper exclaimed.

"Um…Huhbeh?" Rico coughed out a device that would normally be used to jack cars up into the air, asking the dolphin if that would do.

"Why didn't you hack that up sooner!?" Blowhole exclaimed angry, it was like they wanted the lobster to die!

"Ey! Ehmehmehmeh!" Rico glared, not liking to be rushed. His body needed time to do its wonder! Expertise in throwing up couldn't be rushed. "Here!" He tossed the jack.

The dolphin hastily set it up and looked to the four birds once more. "Come on! Help me!"

The four penguins readied their flippers under the beam to help lift with the jack. "Are you sure you want to see what's underneath here?" Skipper asked.

Blowhole looked at Skipper with determination. "I need to Skipper."

Surprised at that, the leader shut his beak and nodded. "Start lifting on the dolphin's command."

The dolphin grabbed the handle of the jack and got ready. "NOW!" He ordered before he pushed the handle.

The penguins lifted and the jack was working, as the handle kept getting pushed the beam was slowly being lifted.

As the beam seemed to be high enough, Blowhole grabbed onto the claw that didn't get hit and pulled.

The dolphin pulled the lobster from underneath just as the penguins couldn't hold anymore. All of their flippers slipped as well as the jack giving out as the beam slammed back down. Then there was one thing to look at…the crushed and unmoving lobster. Red One.

Blowhole held the little lobster in his fins, trembling slightly as he took in Red One's appearance and he also couldn't move from shock. "...Red One... K-Kowalski! Heart rate check!"

The lobster's shell was cracked in all places, looking very fragile and almost like a badly damaged but not yet broken egg. He also looked deathly pale.

Kowalski scoffed, putting his flippers on his hips. "I don't work for you!"

"Kowalski, heart rate check." Skipper said.

The analyst pointed back to his leader. "Now him I work for."

The dolphin then carefully held Red One out for the analyst to check on him, swallowing a heavy lump in his throat as he feared the results of the check.

Skipper for the whole time watched the mad mammal closely, his paranoia that the evil scientist would attack them any moment again still present but the leader had to admit that it astonished him at how much his arch-nemesis actually seems to care for that weak replaceable lobster.

Kowalski felt for anything, a pulse, a heartbeat, a breath but… "I…I don't feel anything…" He shook his head, retracting his flippers. The analyst placed it back on the shattered shell in case he missed it. "Perhaps if I-" He pressed down too hard and the shell cracked even more, enraging the dolphin.

"WHAT are you DOING!? You make it worse you idiot!" Blowhole cried and pulled the lobster closer to him again in a protective manner.

The analyst flinched back and the penguins were silent.

The sea mammal glared at the four birds briefly before his gaze fell onto the crustacean in his fins again, his expression turning soft and sad immediately again as he took in the lobster's broken shell and pale face. "Red One... please..." He whispered and before he could stop it a tear began to slide down his cheek. "Red One…" The dolphin begged.

The penguins watched this quietly, not knowing how to react to this as they never thought that they would ever see the evil Doctor Blowhole cry.

Private then looked to his leader with begging eyes, wanting Skipper to do or say something.

"Blowhole," Skipper started up. "We're so-"

At that moment a pained cough erupted from Red One's throat along with a desperate gasp for air.

Everyone's eyes widened as the lobster suddenly moved again, shocked to no end.

"...Red One?..." Blowhole murmured.

Red One's weak eyes opened the slightest as his cough subsided. "D-Doc..." He managed out quietly.

Common sense was finally coming back to the mammal as he saw the crustacean was alive, his brain working fast again and he hastily turned to the penguins again. "Quick! We need a stretcher!"

"N-no!" Red One exclaimed in a raspy voice. "P-please don't leave me...please..."

Blowhole's attention drew back to Red One, a troubled look on his face. "But I need to get you to the operating room..."

The lobster shook his head with a pained expression. Meanwhile Kowalski exploded in jealousy. "You have an operating ROOM?! All I get is a standard FIRST AID KIT!"

"Not NOW Kowalski!" Blowhole snapped, not in the mood for rubbing it into the brainiac's face that he got much better equipment. "Red One... We need to get you there to help you..."

"Ya can't help a broken shell..." Red One said weakly.

"Of course I can! I'm Doctor Blowhole after all! The greatest mastermind this world has ever seen! You forgot that!?" The mammal snapped, not accepting the crustacean's answer.

"It hurts so much doc..." The lobster whimpered.

"The pain is only telling you that you're still alive!" Blowhole told him.

"Let me go...please..." Red One begged, getting paler by the second.

"N-no! I can't... You're too important..." The dolphin denied, a sob escaping him.

"Break my shell...please... it hurts!"

Blowhole's breathing began to hitch only from the thought alone of doing this, being close to hyperventilating from such a decision.

Gasping, Rico and Kowalski covered Private's eyes and earholes.

"What are you waiting for!" Skipper exclaimed. "Put the man out of his misery!"

The mammal closed his eye for a moment before he called his segway with his mechanical eye, pressing a button on it that brought out a small syringe of the dashboard and took it in a shaky fin. He could at least do this painless. Blowhole brought the needle close but halted a moment before going on, touching the lobster's cheek carefully. "Red One..."

The lobster had tears streaming down in his pain, looking straight at the mammal waiting. He sobbed. "Please doc..."

The dolphin just once more nuzzled the lobster sadly, whispering something to him as he was still alive. "I'm sorry... You were the best second in command ever... I love you Red One..." He then pushed the needle in but still hesitated for a moment with sending what was inside the syringe into the crustacean and looked into Red One's eyes once more.

Red One's eyes clenched shut, taking a shaky breath. He wasn't even able to respond. In fact the piece of his that was piercing into his chest went in deeper, causing him to wrench in pain.

Blowhole bit his lower lip heavily, drawing some blood and closed his eyes as he pushed the contents of the syringe into the lobster's system.

Red One gasped hard, eyes widening. In mere seconds the lobster closed his eyes again and slowly went limp in Blowhole's arm.

Red One looked so peaceful.

But the usually head strong sea mammal on the other hand just started to completely break down, tears beginning to fall uncontrollably as hugged onto the dead lobster tightly.

The penguins watched on sadly, not knowing what to do, nor did they think anything was appropriate. Private looked to their leader again with a plead and Skipper stepped up, clearing his throat. "Blowhole...we're uh...we're sorry for your loss..."

Sorry... Nothing would bring Red One back... Sorry would not solve anything... These penguins are saying SORRY. These penguins...THEY...KILLED...RED ONE...

"You should be..." The dolphin said darkly, looking to the four flightless birds with deep and utter hatred now as they simply took away the one he cared about the most. "It is your fault..."

"W-what?" Private frowned.

"YOU! If you wouldn't have set that bomb off Red One would still be with me! YOU KILLED HIM!" Blowhole yelled in despair and anger, burning with more and more hatred.

"Hold on now! That accussation is a little off isn't?" Skipper exclaimed. "Its pointing the wrong way here!"

"QUIET! It is YOUR fault and you KNOW it!" The dolphin snapped, not listening to what the bird was saying in his desperation. "Why did you do that!?"

"Well I say it wasn't! And we didn't do anything that wasn't justified!" Skipper barked back.

"JUSTIFIED!? How was killing Red One JUSTIFIED!?" Blowhole yelled.

"D-Doctor Blowhole, YOU killed Red One..." Private whimpered, pointing out that fact.

The sea mammal froze at those words, it being true that he gave the lobster the deadly syringe.

"Private is right... You DID stop his heart..." Kowalski added in.

The mad scientist's eye widened in realization and looked at his fins disbelievingly. "...I killed him..."

"B-But he asked you to!" Private tried.

"You did what you had to do!" Skipper shrugged off.

But Blowhole didn't listen anymore, the knowledge of having taken his second in command's life depressing the sea mammal. "I killed the only one I could call a friend... the only one I ever cared for..."

"If you hadn't then he would have died an agonizingly slow death," said Kowalski. "You did the right thing." The analyst then added. "Surprisingly."

Even though the penguins kind of tried to reassure Blowhole that his decision was right did the dolphin's expression only turn empty and broken, his gaze not leaving the lobster in front of him anymore and he spoke up rather weakly than usual. "Just leave me alone..."

"Aren't you going to try to flood the world?" Private asked and got nudged by all three of his teammates. "Ow!"

Blowhole shut his eye. "...Just go... please..."

"We can't go." Skipper told him sternly.

The others stared at their leader a bit surprised, not really understanding.

"Why not?.." The dolphin then asked.

"You do realize we have to arrest you don't you? You're penguin enemy number...uh...three. We can't just let you go." The leader explained.

Blowhole glared at the penguin. "I'm not leaving here."

"You don't have a choice." Skipper glared back.

"Don't forget that this is still MY lair, so I decide what happens here." The dolphin said darkly.

"This lair stopped being yours when you decided to start building weapons of mass destruction in said lair! Now drop the pile of weight and step away from the Segway!" Skipper ordered.

The dolphin disobeyed, shifting a fin up to his mechanical eye and pressed against the metal plate which suddenly opened and a red button came out, looking threatening. "I warn you Skipper. Just one push to this button and this whole place will blow up, burying us all here. So last chance to get lost."

"Uh hey genius! ALL includes YOU!" The leader got that clear.

"I know." Blowhole didn't falter his gaze.

"What are you trying to DO Blowhole!" Skipper stepped forward as the villain's fin hovered over the detonator.

Blowhole's gaze then wandered to the dead lobster again for a moment before setting it on the leader once more, his eyes showing that he was serious. "Go. Now!"

"I said we can't." Skipper repeated.

"So you rather die here?" the dolphin question, his fin moving closer to the button.

"No! No one has to die!" The leader tried to talk some sense into the mammal. "We can all walk and ride out of here!"

"Not all of us..." Blowhole replied, referring to Red One.

"Can't you just move ON in life from anything? Or are you going to add this to lame excuses to flood the world?" Skipper rolled his eyes.

They didn't understand. Those STUPID birds didn't understand! Red One wasn't just a simple minion or his second in command! He meant much MUCH more to the dolphin than even he himself thought and he only now realized it... Realized what he just lost... and it enraged the mammal more than he could ever think! "JUST FREAKING LEAVE NOW! I WANT TO BE ALONE!" ...alone with Red One... Blowhole added to his outburst though it was only in his mind.

"NO!" The leader raised his voice. "We won't! Now come on! Drop the-"

"YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS!" Blowhole shrieked. "None of you do..." The mad dolphin said before he pressed the button but didn't let go of it just yet, the timer not yet starting to set.

This was still a negotiation and Skipper treated it as such. "WAIT! Make us understand and put down the timer!"

There was emptiness in Blowhole's eye as he stared at the penguins, his free fin raising and touching the place where his heart would be, a lone tear running down the side of his cheek but he didn't speak. He was tired of talking to the penguins.

"I-I understand." Private stepped up to the mammal.

"Stop lying..." The dolphin replied in a quiet whisper.

"You don't have a heart." The private went on. "You always knew that…"

Blowhole kept quiet and listened to what the bird was saying, wanting to hear his ridiculous explanation.

"A-and Red One never accepted that…He cared about you an awful lot…" Private told him. "S-so he kept on trying. Making conversation and such until you did let him in…Isn't that right?"

"..." The dolphin didn't answer but also never denied.

"Red One never really thought you'd put him in the pot… The only reason he kept asking was to make sure he wasn't bothering you. But you never minded his nice attitude… He always talked of you…Point is, Red One would have wanted you to LIVE, Doctor Blowhole…Even without him…"

The dolphin frowned. "How do you know that Private?"

"We were penpals…" Private twiddled his flippers. "Secretly…"

"WHAT!?" Everyone exclaimed, staring at the private.

"Private! You secretly write with our enemy's minions?! Explain that soldier!" Skipper demanded.

"It was just some emails…" Private tried to explain. "And…snail mail…B-but nothing happened!"

"Oh really? And what if you plan on running over to Blowhole's side and tell him everything you know about us? Tell me what you wrote with that lobster!" The paranoid leader demanded.

"They were private…" Private mumbled, looking down.

"So what? The lobster is dead now so I demand you tell us now!" Skipper ordered.

Private gasped, putting both flipper tips over his beak as he look to the dolphin who, with dark eyes, took his fin off the detonator, activating the timer.

"Blowhole! Are you insane?!" Skipper yelled but the mammal ignored him, having his attention on the private.

"Tell it Private... You've got three minutes..." Blowhole instructed calmly.

"What? Are you serious!?" Private was flabbergasted at the mammal.

"Yes."

"I…I can't tell you!" The private told him honestly.

"Why not?" The dolphin asked angered, wanting to know what Red One and the penguin wrote each other.

Private shook his head. "I swore to Red One, Doctor Blowhole…I-I'm sorry…"

The mammal's expression turned sour. "Then HOW should I know you told the truth? Maybe you are just lying about being 'penpals' with him to me so I'd leave this place!"

"I never lie!" Private defended.

"You NEVER lie? So you really want to tell me that in your life you never even ONCE told someone a lie?" The dolphin snapped, not believing the bird one word and a mechanical voice called out right after.

_**"Two minutes till self-destruction."**_

"N-no…I haven't…Please Doctor Blowhole shut off the device…" Private pleaded.

"Tell me what Red One wrote you first!" Blowhole ordered.

"Tell him Private." Skipper nodded.

Private stammered. "B-but I..."

"Now!" Skipper shouted.

The private shut his eyes tight and frowned not really wanting to break his promise but also not wanting to die. "F-fine!... I-I will..."

Blowhole waited.

"K'walski may I see your smartphone?" Private held his flipper out.

Kowalski raised a brow but gave the Brit his phone. "Be careful with it Private."

Private nodded and threw it on the ground with a smash.

"MY PHONE!" Kowalski exclaimed in horror. "WHY did you DO this Private?!"

"I've got all the emails up here." Private smiled, pointing a flipper to his noggin.

"But WHY did you smash MY PHONE!?" Kowalski cried frustrated.

"Oh right…um…sorry K'walski…" Private shrugged. "Anyway…I'll start now."

_**"One minute till self-destruction."**_ The deep mechanical voice told again.

"You should hurry." Blowhole said.

"_'I love doc…'_" Private recited. "_'He's such a great guy. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be alive… I'd be out in the ocean, caught by a fisher's net or some predator a long time ago. It's very rough out there in the ocean for a lobstah…'_" The young penguin paused to see if he was being listened to.

The dolphin's eye widened and he looked to the dead lobster again. "W... Was there more?" He urged the little penguin on.

"Y-yes." Private nodded. "B-but I'll only tell you if you stop the explosion." They then stared at each other, Blowhole's gaze just now and then wandering to the small lifeless crustacean as he hesitated.

_**"Ten seconds till self-destruction... Nine... Eight... Seven..." **_

The penguins were looking to the mammal with nervous gazes, with every passing second their hopes sinking but then the dolphin brought up his fin to the button again and pressed it.

_**"Six... Fi-"**_ The counting stopped as the new order registered and the mechanic voice asked for confirmation. _**"Doctor Blowhole. You want to stop the destruction?"**_

"Yes..." The mad scientist confirmed with a frown.

_**"Are you sure, Doc?"**_ The voice piped up again, making the dolphin look up perplexed.

"Yes?" Blowhole was slowly getting annoyed.

_**"Are you really to 100 percent sure?"**_

"YES! I am COMPLETELY sure!" The dolphin yelled enraged. "Who the hell programmed this annoying questioning into you?!"

_**"My registration list says it was personnel number R1, Doc."**_

The dolphin's eye widened as it all clicked together. "Red One…" He whispered. Then he spoke to the computer. "Reset self-destruction. Two moments."

_**"Yes, Doctor Blowhole."**_ The computer replied. _**"Resetting lair self-destruct."**_

"Good. Now Private. Tell me more!" The mammal ordered, bringing his attention back to the bird.

Private started but the leader cut him off.

"He's not telling you anything else!" Skipper barked.

The dolphin glared at this. "That was the deal peng-U-in!"

"No more deals! From now on I make the terms!" Skipper exclaimed. "Shut off that detonation!"

"No-o-o! I want to finally know what was written between those two!" Blowhole snapped and pointed with his fin to Private and Red One.

"That stupid lobster is dead. What does it matter?" The leader yelled.

"It matters to ME! He mattered to me more than ANYONE else ever before!" The dolphin shouted.

"Suuure he did..." Skipper rolled his eyes.

"Yes he did!" Blowhole cried angry.

"He was nothing! Just a lobster! One out of a million! What's so special about that?" The leader went on.

"You didn't know him like I did! He was special to me! Not just a simple lobster I worked with!" Blowhole exclaimed.

"This is just some ploy! You want to kill us all because you HAVE. NO. HEART! Admit it!" Skipper glared.

The dolphin then grew quiet and stared at the leader, biting his inner cheek bitterly. "But with him I felt like I had one..."

As the mammal looked away, the leader took the opportunity to jump up and kick him in the mechanical eye, causing a malfunction. Skipper grabbed the lobster's body and landed back on the ground.

"Gah!" The dolphin exclaimed in pain, sparks flying from the mechanical eye and some painful electric shocks to his skin but what was more important was that the penguin took away the lobster. "Let him go!"

The leader backed away with the lobster in his flippers.

"NO! Give him back to me!" Blowhole cried desperate, trying to get after the bird.

"It's a pile of dead weight." Skipper said.

"NOT TO ME!" The dolphin shouted.

"What is it then?" The leader challenged.

"A friend! Comrade! A beloved person!" Blowhole cried one after the other.

"He's DEAD."

"Then what do you want with him!?"

"He'd make a nice dinner for Rico if you don't SHUT this place down you heartless monster!" The leader yelled.

The dolphin looked over to the psycho bird who rubbed his stomach hungrily already and defeated brought his fin up to the button again but there was just one moment of hesitation before did so. "You'll give him back right after, right?"

"I'll think about it." Skipper said.

"NO! You either give him back or we ALL are going to blow UP!" Blowhole demanded.

"Stop it!" Private cried suddenly to both of them but he was ignored.

The leader and the dolphin only glared daggers into each other, not hearing what the little penguin said.

"Shut it off." Skipper stood strong.

"Only when you guarantee me that you'll give me back Red One." Blowhole replied, staying stubborn.

"You mean DEAD one."

"STOP saying THAT!" The dolphin screamed.

Skipper laughed. "Or you'll what?"

"I just don't want to hear it! So stop!.. Please!..." The mammal begged and brought his fins to his head, a big part of him still actually being in denial over the crustacean's death.

Skipper noticed something was a little off about his foe. "What's wrong with you? You're always quick to threaten death on a lobster. In the pot with all the other ones you put there."

"That's because I wasn't in LOVE with any of the other lobsters!" Blowhole blurted out in his desperate and angry state but grew quiet once the words were out in front of everyone, his gaze slowly drifting to the floor. The dolphin by now looked simply miserable as he realized just how much that little one in a million lobster took over his heart, just how addicted he became to that guy and haunted his thoughts.

"How can someone heartless fall in love? Even though the organ doesn't even actually have anything to do with the feeling…" Kowalski shook his head. "Feelings like that from you are not plausible."

"...Who is more heartless right now?.." The mammal looked up at them. "You coldly deny me to get close to Red One or don't let me hear probably something important that he told Private... Even after I offered you your freedom and released you... all I right now want is to have him close to me... I don't care about you guys right now!.."

"You do realize you can't just keep the body lying around right?" Skipper raised a brow.

"That's disgusting." Kowalski grimaced.

Blowhole let out a sigh. "I just want to mourn over him in peace and quiet... Can't you just finally leave me alone?"

"You can mourn in prison." The leader bargained.

"You sure do piss me off right now..." The mammal growled before he suddenly activated the laser on his mechanical eye and burned Skipper's shoulder which caused the bird to groan out in pain and let go of the dead lobster. Right after he punched him away a few yards with his tail.

"SKIPPER!" Kowalski shouted and caught his leader as he fell back into his flippers. He glared up at the mammal with dark eyes.

Blowhole paid no attention to this as the dead lobster rolled in front of Private and he got right after, staring down at the little penguin. "Hand him over to me Private..." The dolphin said with a desperate look, hoping that this penguin would be the only one who'd understand his pain.

The leader groaned and though wounded instructed his private firmly. "No Private."

"Please... Private..." The mad scientist begged, showing so clearly how stressed he was.

"Priv-" Skipper started.

"No Skippah!" The private cut in firmly, looking at the lobster that was his friend and then to the dolphin that only desired to take his right hand man with him and leave.

"Private!" Skipper exclaimed.

"Here you go Doctor Blowhole." Private handed over the cold lobster.

There seemed relief washing over the mammal once he held the little lobster body in his fins again and he actually looked at Private gratefully, even mouthing a quiet thank you before he called his segway over and hastily got onto it.

"Get him!" Skipper ordered.

Kowalski and Rico got ready to attack right away but Private didn't move one bit, only watching the dolphin that activated his escape capsule, the penguins having no chance to get to him anymore now.

"Peng-U-ins... We'll continue this another day. Goodbye." Blowhole said and soon was gone through an escape tunnel, Skipper groaning out in frustration as his arch-enemy who today would've probably been easier to catch than ever before simply got away again.

"He's gone, Skipper." Kowalski sighed.

The leader growled angrily and then turned to his youngest soldier, a sour look in his face. "PRIVATE! That's all your fault!"

"B-but Skippah-" The little bird chirped.

"No buts soldier! You let a very dangerous foe get away... You even HELPED him! You went against us!" Skipper yelled.

"I- I didn't mean to-"

"'You didn't mean to' WHAT? Write secret messages with Blowhole's second in command behind our back?"

"N-no I-"

"Give that mad dolphin the dead lobster against my orders?"

"But Skippah he-"

"Or to let Blowhole get away WITHOUT SHUTTING OFF THE SELF-DESTRUCTION!?"

"BUT HE DID SHUT IT OFF LONG AGO!" Private cried loudly finally, wanting to get the other bird to listen.

"What are you talking about soldier?" Skipper demanded, looking at the private sternly. That dolphin maniac didn't shut off the-

But the timer was really off, there was no sound at all anymore.

"You didn't even notice did you? You know that when he restarted the countdown we should be long gone by now as the time he set is way over already... but I saw him turn it off... and he was right... today we were the heartless ones..." The young penguin said with a sad and also angry frown, looking down at his feet.

Kowalski put a flipper around the private for support. "You shouldn't think like that. No one is heartless. That's a scientific fact."

"I don't mean it literally!.. Blowhole may be our foe but even he didn't deserve to be treated like this after he lost someone so close to him..." Private replied and the analyst's flipper off, rubbing his eyes as his sniffled slightly.

"It's just a lobster!" Skipper exclaimed.

"AND YOU'RE JUST A COMMANDER, SKIPPAH!"

The leader blinked. "Pardon?"

Private huffed and shoved his leader harshly to the side before storming to a chute that sent him out into the ocean. He needed to go for a swim to clear his thoughts.

"Private!" Skipper cried after the bird before let out a sigh and turned to his two remaining men. "Can you believe him?! What's gotten into that boy!?"

"Ionno." Rico shrugged.

"I think he's fed up because you talked about that lobster like a lower creature." Kowalski piped up.

"Well it is!" Skipper then added. "…Technically."

"That may be sir but-"

But what Kowalski?! He has a million of those things and they die all the time and they're all over the ocean. They're expendable!" Skipper exclaimed. "Just like-"

"…Just like enyone working for a leader." Kowalski finished his commander's sentence, looking hurt as he heard his leader say this before.

Skipper's eyes widened and he looked at the two penguins, seeing their hurt expressions. "That's not what I-"

"Aw…" Rico moped, bowing his head as the analyst pat him on the back.

"C-come on guys! You know I'm not like that... right?" The leader tried.

"We used to, Skipper." Kowalski sighed as he led Rico off. The analyst sniffled as he rushed them away before he could fully cry. "But now we're not so sure!" He sobbed.

Skipper stood there a bit dumbfounded as everyone left him, some guilt showing on his features and his letting his head hang slightly. Was he really so cruel?

Meanwhile in a floating transparent ball, a dolphin villain's head was bowed all the same. He held the dead lobster close to him with a fin, not yet able to accept Red One's death. "Everything will be alright." He reassured the weight in his gray fins. "I'll find a way to get you back." The mad dolphin added in a low tone, his eye showing determination. "I promise this to you…_Red One_…"


End file.
